Former Premier Sir Alden McLaughlin has been tapped for the role of Speaker of the House and is expected to be elected unopposed at a special meeting of Parliament called for Thursday morning.
The special meeting has been called by Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly and is expected to begin at 10am, the Cayman Compass has been informed.
The first business on the Order Paper, in accordance with Constitution Order No. 65, will be for members to elect a new Speaker by majority vote.
McLaughlin, in a brief comment to the Cayman Compass Wednesday morning, confirmed the nomination and his decision.
“I have decided to accept the nomination as Speaker for the same reason I entered politics more than 23 years ago, for love of country,” McLaughlin said.
The Compass understands McLaughlin was being courted for the role following the resignation of Speaker Katherine Ebanks-Wilks last week after she stepped down to accept a ministerial role with the newly formed United People’s Movement (UPM) administration.
The role of Speaker was initially offered to former Premier Wayne Panton after he resigned to pave the way for O’Connor-Connolly to take over as premier following a no-confidence vote last week which Panton narrowly survived.
However, on Tuesday, Panton announced his decision to decline the role saying that it “is in the best interest of the people of my community of Newlands, my country and my family”.
Since then, other names, including former legislators Gilbert McLean and Ezzard Miller and former Speaker Mary Lawrence have, been making the rounds as potential nominees.
Apart from the election of the new Speaker of the House, lawmakers are expected to debate 10 pieces of legislation, including the National Pensions (Amendment) Bill, 2023 which seeks to increase the maximum amount for withdrawals from pension plans for deposits on the purchase or construction of homes; purchasing residential property; making reduction payments on mortgages or real estate loans; and paying off mortgages.
O’Connor-Connolly, in a statement on Wednesday afternoon on the second special meeting in a little over a week, stated that the priority will be electing the Speaker of the House.
However, she said, government will also continue to pursue an active legislative agenda with a number of bills to be passed.
“I feel certain that members of the community will be keen to follow the debates during this session and particularly those surrounding the National Pensions (Amendment) Bill, which aligns with the Government’s commitment to support economic and housing needs in the Cayman Islands by improving the likelihood of homeownership for Caymanians and easing the cost of living with a reduction in mortgage balances,” she said.
Thursday’s meeting will be the first time O’Connor-Connolly will take her seat as premier in the House along with new Deputy Premier André Ebanks.
A government motion concerning the Development and Planning (Amendment) Regulations 2023, will also be addressed during the special meeting.
Other bills up for debate:
- Beneficial Ownership Transparency Bill 2023, and ancillary amendments including:
- Companies (Amendment) Bill 2023
- Limited Liability Companies (Amendment) Bill 2023
- Limited Liability Partnership (Amendment) Bill 2023
- Foundation Companies (Amendment) Bill 2023
- Mutual Funds (Amendment) Bill 2023
- Insurance (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2023
- Companies Management (Amendment) (No.2) Bill 2023
- Banks and Trust Companies (Amendment) Bill 2023
- Virtual Asset Service Providers (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2023
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